DRAGON BALL THE BREAKERS

It's not great, and there are better games of this ilk for players to try out, but if you're enough of a fan of Dragon Ball, you might find just enough to enjoy here that makes it worth the cost of admission.

56%Game Brain Score

gameplay, graphics

monetization, story

57% User Score Based on 4,458 reviews

Critic Score 55%Based on 19 reviews

Platforms

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About

"DRAGON BALL THE BREAKERS" is a dynamic action game where 7 players work together to escape from a powerful raider in a Dragon Ball-themed world. The Special Edition includes costumes, victory pose, and vehicle skin. Season 5 introduces Zamasu & Goku Black as the new Raider, and Future Mai, Puar, and Jaco as new Survivors, along with Cross-Play and Ranked Matches. Strategy and teamwork are crucial to survive against the Raider's relentless pursuit.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

+13

57%

Audience ScoreBased on 4,477 reviews

gameplay207 positive mentions

monetization64 negative mentions

Fun and unique gameplay that combines Dragon Ball with asymmetrical multiplayer mechanics.
Great character customization options and nostalgic references to the Dragon Ball series.
Exciting moments when playing as both the raider and survivor, especially with friends.

Severe matchmaking issues, including long wait times and inability to queue as raider with friends.
Predatory gacha system that locks important skills and abilities behind random chance, making progression frustrating.
Balance issues favoring survivors, making it difficult for raiders to win matches, especially against coordinated teams.

gameplay
639 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
57%
11%
The gameplay of "Dragon Ball: The Breakers" is a mixed bag, featuring a fun and engaging core loop that combines survival and combat mechanics reminiscent of "Dead by Daylight." However, it suffers from significant issues such as unbalanced survivor and raider abilities, frustrating gacha mechanics that lock essential skills behind a paywall, and a lack of clear tutorials, which can hinder the overall experience. While some players find enjoyment in the unique gameplay dynamics and character variety, many express dissatisfaction with the monetization strategies and technical shortcomings that detract from the game's potential.
- “Every match feels different, and its gameplay cycle is great because of its item variety, different play styles, abilities and strategies.”
- “The core gameplay loop is incredibly fun and a lot of the reviews are horribly unjust to the game.”
- “The gameplay itself is tons of fun and would hold up without any sort of progression system.”
- “Genuinely an awful experience, shitty gacha mechanics for survivors and somehow even despite that they're overpowered as all hell, having 30 abilities that let them fly across the map in an instant and take no damage and stuns. If you're going up against a full team of them with those, it's actual hell.”
- “Shit tier game, horrid balancing, horrid matchmaking, gameplay (while unique and having potential) is wasted in the hands of Dimps and Bandai.”
- “The gameplay of raider boils down to 'mash X to win.' It's boring to play as, and horrible to play against.”
monetization
204 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
62%
31%
The monetization model of the game has drawn significant criticism, with many players labeling it as predatory and akin to a cash grab, particularly due to the presence of gacha mechanics and microtransactions in a paid title. While some argue that the monetization is manageable and primarily cosmetic, the overall sentiment leans towards frustration over the necessity of spending additional money to access content and improve gameplay, leading to accusations of a pay-to-win structure. Many reviewers suggest that the game would have been better received as a free-to-play title given its monetization practices.
- “The monetization for this game is actually incredibly fair, a completely free battle pass with daily and weekly missions being the only way to level up your pass and the amount of zeni you get after every match is great.”
- “Played this game a lot during the beta, changes remain the same, still enjoyable in its own right. One thing I must point out on these reviews is don't be put off by the 'monetization' because there's actually not that much.”
- “The monetization is the other major issue that'll be a sticking point for a lot of people, but honestly in the game's current state it's really not an issue; the 'dragon tier,' their version of a battle pass, is completely free and included in the game.”
- “In-game microtransactions that are now borderline necessary if you want to play survivor because you need meta items or you lose.”
- “The first and most obvious misstep is how they charge $20 for a game they put microtransactions into anyway.”
- “This system is beyond predatory which leads me to believe this game is a cash grab and nothing more.”
graphics
120 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
60%
15%
The graphics of the game have received mixed reviews, with many players noting that they are dated and reminiscent of older titles like Dragon Ball Xenoverse, leading to a perception of mediocrity. While some appreciate the vibrant art style and character designs, others criticize the poor optimization, pixelation, and lack of fullscreen support, resulting in a subpar visual experience for a game released in 2022. Overall, the graphics are seen as a significant drawback, overshadowing the game's potential fun factor.
- “Personally, I only enjoyed the graphics of the game and the dialogue of the characters that feels taken straight from the show itself, and the attack animations are clean and well done.”
- “Not sure who is responsible for the artwork, but I think it's really good.”
- “The graphics are nice, and all the props and whatnot are clear and visible. Toriyama's art style blends pretty well, too.”
- “This game is hit or miss because admittedly it is a Dragon Ball Xenoverse asset flip with aspects that I dislike from that series like the combat having little variety and the visuals which have been ugly and dated even when it released in 2015.”
- “Graphically this game isn't worth 20 dollars, even on the highest settings the game is pixelated, the textures are subpar and the game doesn't even support ultra wide monitors, which isn't a dealbreaker for me, but they could at least let me play in fullscreen with black bars at the side, instead of stretching the game over my full monitor making it look even more crappy.”
- “The graphics are laughably bad, though some of the models do look superior to Xenoverse 2 (2017), they are still overall worse and there are less of them.”
story
104 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
6%
88%
7%
The game's story aspect has received significant criticism, with many players noting a lack of substantial narrative content since the last episode in season 3, and a general absence of a meaningful single-player campaign. While there are some elements of story in the prologue and missions, players feel that the game fails to deliver a rich, engaging narrative experience, often relegating the story to a mere backdrop for gameplay mechanics. Overall, the storytelling is seen as underdeveloped and not a strong point of the game.
- “Even though it's an online game, there is a bit of a story in the prologue.”
- “Dragon Ball: The Breakers is one hell of a redemption story, going from an unbalanced mess on day one to a genuinely enjoyable asymmetric PvP game.”
- “It's an intriguing elevator pitch that the game mostly does right by; the core concept is fun, and the game does it well enough; monetization is surprisingly fair; the attempts at a story, while falling flat, do touch upon some interesting ideas.”
- “The last episode (story/single player) we got was in season 3. Since season 4 (first anniversary), we haven't received any episodes. We know from datamining that we should have 10, but the devs don't want to address it or at least tell us when we will get a new episode.”
- “- no story or anything close to it, just a 'prologue'.”
- “Story: 1/5”
grinding
64 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
5%
2%
94%
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being excessively tedious and unbalanced, particularly for new players who struggle against more experienced opponents. Many reviewers express frustration with the gacha system, which requires significant time investment to obtain desired abilities or characters, often leading to a feeling of futility. While some acknowledge that it is possible to progress without spending money, the overall sentiment is that the game demands an unreasonable amount of grinding, making it less enjoyable for many players.
- “The game has a decent roadmap with new content being added every 3-4 weeks, which keeps the grinding experience engaging for players.”
- “Grinding missions daily can be rewarding, especially for players who are able to accumulate a lot of gacha tickets.”
- “The game does have lasting appeal with its player base, although it may drop off if future updates require too much premium currency.”
- “Awful grinding is involved if you want to power up as a raider or survivor. The ranking system will put you against max level players and people who vastly outrank you. I was a rank 1 raider and it was constantly pitting me against premade teams of rank Z players with maxed out stats instead of players around my skill level.”
- “Rather than let the gameplay stand on its own, it locks the best kits behind a massive paywall and grinding session where you'll have to put in 100 hours, no exaggeration, just to catch up to the people who have been playing since release.”
- “Make no mistake, this game is grindy in practically all aspects!”
humor
56 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is widely appreciated, with players finding it both entertaining and absurd, particularly in multiplayer settings where they can share funny moments with friends. Many highlight the game's ridiculous scenarios and character interactions, which contribute to its charm, despite some frustrations with gameplay mechanics. Overall, the humor adds a unique personality to the game, making it a fun experience, especially when played with others.
- “I think there's a humor both in and out of the game that you have to appreciate; this is the most ridiculous Dragon Ball game, and I love it for that.”
- “Things like each raider having a variety of cutscenes for different conditions (Ginyu especially has some hilarious variations for body change) show that the team behind it cares at least enough to try to make this all work.”
- “But I think the clunkiness is what makes it hilarious; it's not good by any means, but it's entertaining as hell.”
optimization
45 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
58%
29%
The game's optimization has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with players reporting severe performance issues, including frequent crashes, frame drops, and stuttering even on high-end hardware. Many users have noted that the game feels poorly optimized compared to other titles, leading to frustration during gameplay, particularly in menus and customization options. While some players find the game enjoyable, they emphasize the urgent need for optimization and bug fixes to enhance the overall experience.
- “I will say that the game is very well optimized, so expect bugs.”
- “This PC port is poorly optimized, but the fun outweighs the port being awful.”
- “I recommend this game, but it ran better on my computer in beta. It lags and crashes a lot for me for some reason, but overall it is a great game for the price. I just need to see some optimization and bug fixes before I start playing it like I did in closed beta.”
- “I also would like to say that this game makes Bethesda games look optimized. An RTX 4060 and a Core i9 with the lowest settings holds a crisp 15 fps with it being the only thing running.”
- “Terrible optimization; the game crashes nearly every match on AMD hardware.”
- “Optimization is bad; even with high-end specs and updated drivers, my fps still stutters.”
stability
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
88%
The game's stability is widely criticized, with players reporting numerous bugs, glitches, and performance issues that significantly hinder gameplay. Many users experienced softlocks, lag, and matchmaking problems, leading to frustration and a sense that the game feels unfinished. While some find enjoyment in playing with friends, the overall consensus is that the game requires substantial improvements to its stability and bug fixes.
- “Things are often clunky, but at least it's mostly bug-free.”
- “The game plays and runs great when you can get in.”
- “The game is a buggy mess, the matchmaking is so bad that you will go against players that aren't even close to your skill or experience level, and the devs refuse to add cross-platform when this game needs it.”
- “It is a buggy nightmare that feels like a fan-made game.”
- “Spent more than one hour troubleshooting because I got disconnected or experienced frame rate issues that made the game unplayable.”
music
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
28%
17%
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players praising it as a standout feature, giving it a perfect score of 10/10 for its dramatic and engaging compositions, particularly during key moments. Others found the sound design to be adequate but lacking in uniqueness, noting that while the main menu music is enjoyable, it doesn't fully capture the essence of the beloved Dragon Ball soundtracks. Overall, the music complements the game's tone well, though opinions on its impact vary.
- “The music is spectacular, the dramatic tension as the violins signify the next raider level and the heroic music as you change to take them on.”
- “The tone of the game as a whole, graphics, music, and etc. fit it perfectly fine in my opinion.”
- “The main menu music is a bop.”
- “Having music to choose in the lobby like in Xenoverse would be a great addition.”
- “Music: 3/5”
- “The main menu music is enjoyable, but overall the music experience is lacking.”
replayability
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
50%
21%
Overall, the game offers significant replayability, especially for fans of asymmetrical gameplay, with many players appreciating its charm and unique character roster. However, some critics argue that it suffers from balance issues and lacks fun, leading to mixed opinions on its long-term playability. Future updates are hoped for to enhance multiplayer experiences and overall enjoyment.
- “It has a little bit of a learning curve but has tons of replay value.”
- “If you love asymmetrical games and want this to be your main game, it has a ton of replayability.”
- “However, for the price, replayability, teamwork, fun builds, and learning to play while enjoying this unique PvP game under a DBZ skin is amazing.”
- “Don't listen to all the fake reviews of this game; it's pure trash. It has 0 balance, 0 fun, 0 replayability, and awful microtransactions. Graphics are recycled trash from a 7-year-old game too.”
- “Hoping there are more updates that will make this more playable with friends in the future.”
- “The game itself has a lot of charm and personality, but this game gives off crazy 'passion project' energy where they do small details that didn't have to be added but were.”
atmosphere
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
29%
43%
The atmosphere of the game is generally described as casual and enjoyable, particularly for players taking on the role of a survivor. While it lacks the serious tone of competitive games like Dead by Daylight, it offers a frantic and whimsical ambiance, especially in the context of its Dragon Ball theme.
- “It has a nice atmosphere, especially if you play as a survivor.”
- “This game isn't a competitive slugger with a serious atmosphere like Dead by Daylight.”
- “This game isn't a competitive slugger with a serious atmosphere like DBD.”
- “Casual atmosphere.”
- “Dragon Ball: The Breakers is a bit awkward in spots and weighed by some iffy monetization, but it's also a frantic and silly asymmetrical multiplayer game steeped in Dragon Ball atmosphere.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is described as an emotional roller coaster primarily filled with sadness, though it has moments of wholesome fun. While it has potential, it requires further refinement to enhance the overall experience.
- “This game is an emotional roller coaster, filled with profound sadness.”
- “Wholesomely fun to the core.”